Margaret Derby, owner of Grapes Bed and Breakfast, on the corner of West Street and Prince’s Avenue, will have to wait until June for the trench outside her home to be repaired.

On February 27, the Benoni City Times reported that the Western Extension home and business owner was fed up with a deep excavation that had been left unattended by the City of Ekurhuleni’s (CoE) Department of Water and Sanitation since March 2024.

“We were told that the purpose of the undertaking was due to the replacement of water pipes from Actonville. The pipes were laid, however, not joined outside my property and the hole was left wide open,” said Derby.

“This is shoddy workmanship and a blight on my business; it is causing the road to collapse and looks trashy.”

A similar complaint was reported in February last year, when Mohammed Jeewa, who lives on the corner of West Street and Woburn Avenue, suffered a similar fate outside the pedestrian gate leading to his property.

He blamed poor workmanship by the CoE, leaving the entrance to his home in ruins and endangering the lives of other road users. He further expressed concern about the integrity of his boundary wall, which was at risk of collapse due to the hole.

The excavation was closed shortly after the publication of Jeewa’s plight.

Responding to questions regarding the West and Prince’s excavation, CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said that contractors were appointed on May 14, 2024, with the contract ending on 30 June last year.

The scope of work included the construction of water networks and upgrades to bulk infrastructure.

“The project could, however, not be completed due to a shortfall in the budgetary allocation,” he said.

“The city will endeavour to complete the project and subsequently close the current excavation by the end of June.”

Derby said she is shocked by the metro’s lack of planning when undertaking a project of this magnitude.

“If I were to manage my business in the same manner as the metro does, I would be bankrupt,” she said.

“Yet, rate-paying business and property owners must continue paying while officials simply shrug their shoulders; it is laughable.”

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